I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at Oxford's Department of Politics and International Relations and a Deterrence Futures Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute. I was previously a Stanton Nuclear Fellow at the MIT Security Studies Program. While I have a variety of research interests, my work primarily concerns the causes and consequences of states' military procurement choices and the effect of these choices on alliance politics and strategic stability. I am especially interested in the way that procurement choices relate to nuclear and strategic systems, and I also work extensively on the role that status and prestige concerns play in shaping military force postures.Â
Having done my doctoral work at the University of Oxford and my undergraduate and master's work at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, I always try to connect my research to areas of policy import, but I attempt to do so in a way that speaks to audience beyond just DC. Thus, much of my empirical research draws heavily on cases from Europe and East Asia, and I am of course especially interested in British security policy.
In addition to my academic studies, I have worked at the British Embassy to the US, served on the editorial board of the Georgetown Security Studies Review, and worked as a Summer Associate and Adjunct Researcher at the RAND Corporation. My work has appeared in scholarly and public-facing outlets such as the Journal of Strategic Studies, Journal of Peace and Nuclear Disarmament, Contemporary Security Policy, The Washington Quarterly, Foreign Affairs, and Lawfare.
When I am not working, you can usually find me wandering along some random bit of the English countryside, relaxing in a coffee shop, perusing a bookstore, or cheering on Atlanta United.
Email: samseitz3@gmail.com